I cringe now when I recall how ignorant I was before discovering Bangkok Pundit – the anonymous blogger who untangles the messy business of Thai politics.
Dissecting the major opinion pieces of the day, he gently unpicks weak arguments and fills in the missing pieces. Bangkok Pundit’s rigorous, common-sense approach drives a coach and horses through the woolly-headed guff that passes for political analysis in Thailand’s English language newspapers.
At the height of last year’s street protests, The Nation’s fawning support for the yellow-shirt cause infamously descended into propaganda. The paper’s credibility, not to mention its circulation, never recovered. The Bangkok Post usually does a better job but it still suffers by comparison to the foreign press. Instead of pursuing their own leads, its journalists seem happy to parrot official statements.
Bangkok Pundit opened my eyes to all this. Whether it’s Thaksin’s prospects, lese majeste prosecutions or conflict in the Deep South, his insights help me place news reports in their proper context. With no obvious rival, he’s in serious danger of becoming a national treasure.
Thailand’s foreign homeowners remain fearful of eviction
Bangkok airport extortion ring exposed
BBC iPlayer: How to watch real UK TV in Thailand
Satellite TV in Thailand: Dump TrueVisions for Astro or Multichoice
Tata Young copies the Susan Boyle look
Plucky kids save drowning puppy
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ditto on Bangkok Pundit. And while I’m still moving slow through Thai politics, I know where I can get the information I need. Because you certainly cannot get everything you need from the Bangkok Post or the Nation.
The cheque is in the mail
Thanks for the nice comments.